Outsiders and heroes
by roxaskey
Summary: Balto is half dog, half wolf. He is an outsider who is destined to be a hero. He has to face the town of Nome who hate him. And the evil dog Steele who has the town in his grasp. Life looks grim for Balto. But then answer comes in the form of another outsider. Ryder is a werewolf. Half wolf, half human. He will be the answer to Balto's problems. And the bringer of vengeance.
1. Chapter 1

New story starting some time before the movie. Leads up to an alternate version. Enjoy.

* * *

_Run._

That was the only thing on his mind. He had to keep running. He was getting weaker and weaker by the minute. His shirt was covered in blood from his bleeding chest. The blood loss was taking serious effect, barely managing to carry on, but something kept him going. His determination and strength helped him run, but what really kept him going... was his inner beast.

A loud and angry growl left his throat. Time seemed pass quickly as he sped through the forest at impossible speed for a human. But he kept running until he reached the end of the snowy forest.

"Arrgh. I need to clean this wound." He grunted as he spotted a lake in the distance. Once he reached it he looked at his refection. He had black leather boots, blue jeans, a brown leather belt that had two holsters on either side, each containing a six shooter revolver, he had a dark brown shirt that was stained in blood, a red Mexican poncho that went down to the end of his chest before it ripped, a pair of black sunglasses and a dark brown ten gallon hat on his head. If anyone saw him they would have called him a cowboy from the wild west. But he seemed customised and suited for this time period, a sort of 'modern cowboy'.

He removed his hat and knelt down on the snowy ground in front of the lake. He dipped a cloth into the lake, after lifting his shirt he placed the wet cloth to his wound. Wincing as he felt the stinging sensation from the where the bullet hit and the ice cold water. He had short, dark brown hair with a fringe that nearly met his eyes, he also had a non connected moustache and goatee with stubble taking the rest of his face. If he had his hat on and face down, anybody could mistake him for a grown man. But when he lifted his head up to reveal the rest of his face, they would meet the ice blue eyes of a fourteen year old boy.

The kid placed his hat back on his head and stood up. He could feel a blizzard heading his way, he needed to find shelter. The kid lifted his head up and sniffed the air, he caught sent of a dog, no, a wolfdog. This made the kid grin as he looked into the air and closed his eyes. He thought of himself on all fours, running in the snow. When he opened his eyes he was doing just that. The kid was now a creature that resembled a wolf, with some differences. He was a bit smaller than a wolf but a bit bigger than a dog, he was a half breed. Half wolf, half human. He was a werewolf. He could switch between his human form and his wolf form at will, but when his rage got high enough he turns into a hybrid of both.

Once he reached the top of a hill he stopped. He was still wearing his hat, his sunglasses, his poncho and his belt with the six shooters on either side. The other clothes seemed to have disappeared, the blood from his wound had stained his fur and he was losing energy. Scanning the area, he spotted a small boat in the distance, the same smell was coming from there. He made a dash towards the boat to try and receive shelter.

Once he arrived the blizzard had already hit full force. "Hello?" He called out to the boat. After no response he called again. "Is anybody in there?"

A figure appeared on top of the boat. "Who's there?" Asked the figure who, judging by their voice, was male. He asked in a curious and defending tone.

The kid got closer as the wind picked up and nearly blew off his hat. "Someone who is cold, looking for shelter and about to lose his hat!" He heard the figure chuckle slightly before responding.

"Come on up!"

The kid ran up a boarding plank at the side of the boat. When he reached the top he saw the figure in more detail. It was a grey wolfdog with yellow eyes. "Thanks for letting me stay." The kid thanked the stranger who looked like he was staring at him.

"Uuhh, no problem. Come with me." The wolfdog walked to a sheltered area of the boat where it looked like was the steering area. The kid could now see the wolfdog in detail. And the stranger seemed to be looking at him strangely as well.

"What's the matter?"

The wolfdog looked away slightly. "Oh. Um, nothing it's just that I've never seen a dog wear that stuff before."

The kid smirked slightly at the strangers mistake. He was not a dog. "Hmm. I guess you haven't."

There was a loud yell and the two turned to look atop the steering wheel. A white snow goose stood there with a shocked expression. "Balto! Who is this?" He asked pointing at the kid.

"Boris. This is someone who was looking for shelter. He is going to stay for the night."

The snow goose slapped his forehead and turned to the wolfdog. "What were you thinking!? He could be dangerous!"

The wolfdog put on a smirk. "Come on Boris look at him. He is just a kid." He stated motioning towards the kid with his paw.

The goose shook his head in irritation. "Fine! He can stay but keep him away from me!" He said as he stormed off. The wolfdog looked back at the kid.

"Sorry about him. He is just a little cautious."

The kid had a grin on his face. "Caution is a wise thing to have. But it should not outweigh your conscience."

"I guess you're right." The wolfdog chuckled. "Anyway, my name is Balto." He introduced himself. The kid nodded and responded.

"Nice to meet you."

The wolfdog smiled. "Likewise. So, what's you're name?" He asked the kid with a curious gaze.

"I... don't know." The responded sadly. He looked at Balto who had a confused expression. "I have amnesia so I don't remember my past."

"Oh. Sorry," Balto said sadly.

"Not your fault." The kid said smiling at him. "But I did know some others before who used to call me Mest. But most just call me Ryder. I prefer Ryder."

Balto smiled at him. "Ok! Ryder it is." They both settled down ready for the night. They laid next to each other to keep warm.

"Hey Balto." Ryder called. He knew the answer to this question but he needed to be sure. "What breed are you?"

Balto looked to the ground sadly. He had hoped he wouldn't be asked this question. "Well I am half husky and..." He sighed before turning away. "...Half wolf." Balto turned to look at Ryder expecting a look of shock or resentment but his expression was unchanged. Or it was just because of his hat and sunglasses. "What are you going to mock me like all the other dogs do?" Balto asked almost fearfully.

Ryder smiled. "Actually..." He removed his hat and glasses, revealing his face and ice blue eyes. "... I am half wolf as well!" He said cheerfully.

Balto's expression went from shock to joy. He couldn't believe he had met another like him. They talked for hours until Ryder set his gear in the corner except his poncho which he used to keep warm.

Tomorrow Ryder was going to go into town and see what life was like for Balto. What neither of them knew was that this newcomer would be the answer and the saviour of so many problems for Balto.


	2. Visiting Nome

Balto's eyes fluttered open. The morning sun was shining down onto his face through the window. He looked down to his side expecting to see Ryder, but he wasn't there. Balto made his way out onto the deck and looked around. Still nothing.

Balto heard a tapping noise behind him so he turned to see Boris standing there tapping his foot. "Good morning."

"Morning, Boris." He greeted with a smile. "Have you seen our guest anywhere?"

Boris motioned with his wing towards the front of the boat. Balto looked and saw a familiar figure looking out into the distance. Balto thanked Boris but before he could walk off, Boris put his wing in front of him.

"I heard what they call him." He said a little annoyed.

"You mean Ryder?" Balto questioned a little confused at his statement.

"No. His other name." He said getting more impatient. Balto tilted his head in confusion, until he remembered what Ryder had told him last night.

"Mest?"

Boris finally released his impatience. "Yes! Do you even know what that means?"

Balto was getting confused my the second. "Umm, no."

Boris sighed. "It's a Russian name. It means Vengeance."

Balto now realised where Boris was going. Names that had a meaning meant that whatever the meaning was the owner had something to do with it. "Look he is just a kid. Barely out of his puppyhood. He can't have that much trouble brewing around him." Balto made his way over to Ryder.

Before he opened his mouth to speak he thought he would take in Ryder's appearance. He was almost as tall as Balto but just a little smaller. He had thick silver fur on his body with greyish fur on his underbelly and chest. He was still wearing his hat and shades. Balto shook his head at how unusual it was, but it actually looked good on him. Then he caught a glimpse of something red on Ryder's chest. It took him a while to realise what it was.

"You're bleeding!" He exclaimed looking at the wound on his chest. "Are you ok?" Ryder looked at him then followed his gaze to his chest.

"Oh. It's nothing." He said waving Balto off. Balto was not convinced "Ryder. That wound looks pretty bad. We have to clean it."

Ryder sighed. "Fine but first we have to sterilize it with some alcohol." Ryder looked towards the town. Balto followed his gaze and spoke up.

"I know where we can find some." He made his way down the plank and yelled up to Ryder. "Come on. We have to go into town."

"Coming!" As soon as he said this Ryder leaped over the edge of the boat and landed right in front of Balto's paws. Balto was not expecting that. "Wow. Anyway, let's get going."

They both started running off to Nome. Ryder seemed to be quite fast and, to Balto's surprise, overtook him and darted of with mighty speed. Balto noticed that he was now wearing his poncho again.

When they reached the outskirts of Nome, they both skid to a stop and hid behind the buildings. Balto decided to make conversation. "So, uh... why didn't you bring your other gear?"

Ryder glanced at him as they walked behind the buildings. "Oh Yeah! How could I forget? I'm sure the locals wouldn't mind a strange canine walking through the town with a gun." His voice was dripping with sarcasm.

"Err. Right. Sorry." Balto hung his head low out of embarrassment. Ryder noticed this and decided to start up a smarter conversation. "Do you expect us to run into trouble?" Balto looked around before walking into an alley and motioning Ryder to follow.

"Well... if all goes well we might not run into..." Balto paused before looking out of the alley and spotting a black and white Malamute. "..._him_."

Ryder examined the new dog. He was big and had a crowd around him. They all seemed to be admiring him, although Ryder couldn't understand why. To him the dog was some arrogant pest who was obsessed with glory and attention. He grabbed Balto and jumped behind another building as the malamute turned towards them.

"Whoa! Nice reflexes. Do you think he saw us?" Balto asked as they took to the rooftop. Ryder was free running skilfully. It was clear that he was far more agile than Balto but also more foolish than him.

"Not likely. He's dumb and we're fast." Ryder stated as he hopped over a chimney. They kept running on the rooftops until they reached the main street. Balto pointed to a store on the other side.

"That liquor store should have something to sterilize and help clean the wound." He said as he looked for a safe area to cross the street and not get seen. "Any ideas how we can get there without being noticed?" As if on queue Ryder ran at full speed and leapt off the building, grabbed a loose washing line and swung to the other side of the street. He managed to swing through the liquor store's open window and land safely. "Ryder!"

Balto jumped down and ran across the street, not caring if he was spotted, he was only concerned about Ryder. Balto felt that it was his duty to look after the kid since he doesn't have any parents and his problem with amnesia. Just as Balto ran around a corner he rammed straight into Ryder, who seemed to be holding an alcohol soaked cloth against his wound. "Whoa, nice running sled dog! Where's the race?" He asked sarcastically.

"Ryder!" He yelled as he hit him on the back of the head.

"Ow!" He rubbed the back of his head and looked at Balto with annoyance. "What was that for!?"

Balto gave him a stern look. "For being foolish and irresponsible. You could have gotten hurt!"

Ryder continued to dab the cloth on his wound. "Nice to know you care." He flashed a cocky grin at Balto who rolled his eyes; knowing what was coming. "It was pretty cool though."

Balto sighed but he had to agree. "Yeah it was quite impressive" He smiled at the kid and his gaze fell back down to his wound. Just then he noticed something about the wound. Not only was it deep, but it was just slightly to the right of his heart. _Surely a wound like that..._

Before he could ask Ryder, they both heard the menacing voice of the Malamute call out to some others. "Quick, I saw him go in here!" Balto's face dropped to one of panic once they realised they were caught. He looked at Ryder who, surprisingly was very calm about the situation.

They could hear the dogs getting closer. Ryder gave Balto a sly wink before Balto turned as they came round the corner.

"You!" Came the gruff voice off the Malamute as the other dogs growled.

_Oh no!_ Was all Balto could think as he turned to look at Ryder. But, he wasn't there any more.


End file.
